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Maritime University Key Factor in Niger Delta Peace, Stability – Governor Okowa

-by our correspondent.

The coming of the Nigeria Maritime University was instrumental in bringing about peace and reconciliation in the Niger Delta following a period of fierce agitation for economic justice in the region.

Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, said this in Asaba during a courtesy visit to his office by the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh.

Okowa noted that the maritime university located at Okerenkoko, in Gbaramatu Kingdom of Delta State, which was established in 2017, with the active support of NIMASA, had a stabilising effect on the people.

Pic 1: Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa (right); Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh (left); and Executive  Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, NIMASA, Victor Ochei, during a courtesy visit to Okowa by NIMASA’s Executive Management team at Government House, Asaba

“Indeed, the coming of the university gave birth to peace in the Niger Delta and we must appreciate NIMASA for its contribution, I am glad that a lot is being done by NIMASA, particularly in Delta State, and we will continue to appreciate it so that you will continue to do more,” he added.

The governor pledged to cooperate with the maritime regulatory Agency in the building of a virile blue economy in the country, with a strong maritime business base in the state. “I am aware that we have been having issues with the ship repairs and building project and we will be happy to see this industry established to complement the university. We are aware that a lot of scholarships have been given to Deltans and I must register our appreciation to NIMASA.”  Governor Okowa said.

For his part Dr. Jamoh solicited the participation and support of the governments and people of the Niger Delta as key stakeholders in the successful development of a robust blue economy in the country.

Pic 2: Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Bashir Jamoh (right), presenting a souvenir and a copy of his book, Harnessing Nigeria’s Maritime Assets: Past, Present & Future, to Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, when Jamoh led NIMASA’s Executive Management team on a courtesy visit to Okowa at Government House, Asaba.

The NIMASA DG and his Executive Management team were in the state as part of a sensitisation drive to get the approval of the coastal states in the current attempt to develop maritime as the pivot of the country’s economic diversification effort.

“Our maritime sector is a huge treasure trove of development opportunities as it can fetch us even much more than oil, as recent studies by experts, including the World Bank, have shown. As an agency of the Federal Government, and the maritime regulatory body of the country, we should be in the vanguard of this new move to get our critical stakeholders on board as we strive to wean Nigeria off oil dependence.” He said.

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